Packaging apparatus and method of utilizing the same



Apnl 9, 1968 J. s|MPsoN ETAI.

PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHD OF UTILIZING THE SAME 7 Sheets-Sheet lFiled April 4, 1962 INVENTORS JUSTN Swlpou @BJI-Mami I. Ivezsou April 9,196s vJ. SIMPSON ETAL PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF UTILIZING THESAME '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4., 1962 INVENTORS JUSTIN SIMPsou Q3BJAQuE 3. Iva-@sou BY maw/L., W #f/11M R ATTORNEYS April 9, 1968 J.SIMPSON ETAL PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF UTILIZING THE SAME FiledApril 4, 1962 '7 Sheets-Sheet INVENTORS usw-IM Smpsou C8 Emmaus J.IvElzsou BY www, fm2, 1M/w3 ATTORNEYS April 9, 1968 J. SIMPSON ETAL3,376,689

l PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF' UTILIZING THE SAME Filed April 4,1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS Jus-rm S Mplsou ABJAEME J. IvEzsou BYMMMWM/l MQW 7 Sheets-Sheet S35/ARME l Z13/Eason April 9, 1968 J, SIMPSONETAL PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF' UTILIZING THE SAME Filed April4,

wmlffm'w* ATTORNEYS Apri 9, 1968 J. slMPsON ETAL PACKAGING APPARATUS ANDMETHOD OF' UTILIZING THE SAME 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 4,

N N vnm o o m N 5 w M w n I 5 TN J/llnA m0. M J. n T E nu 22:1: WIIHMH.. x IIMFI L W. J A HlllllflUwr T April 9, 1968 .l` slMPsoN ETALPACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF' UTILIZING THE SAME '7 Sheets-SheetFiled April 4, 1962 'O3 ZF: ci. I4

S o J INVENTORS Jusvm SlMPsom -BJAI"2ME J. IVE-:25cm

zzl h s ATTORNEYS FxGJB BY w,

United States Patent() 3,376,689 PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHGD 0FUTILIZING THE SAME Justin Simpson, Elmhurst, and Bjarne J. Iverson, OakPark, Ill., assignors t0 Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y.,a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 185,008 14Claims. (Cl. 53-38) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure has to dowith a packaging apparatus and method wherein cans are passed through anentrance seal formed of a sterilizing liquid into a filling machinesealed relative to the atmosphere, The sterilized cans are filled andthen transferred to a closing machine while remaining sealed relative tothe atmosphere whereat sterilized ends are applied to the filled cans.The sterilized ends are supplied through a shield including asterilizing liquid and are thus sterilized. The filled and closed cansexit from the closing machine through a further liquid seal.

This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in thepackaging art, and more particularly to a novel apparatus for and methodof packaging products under aseptic conditions.

In the normal packaging of products, particularly those subject tocontamination and spoilage, it is desired to maintain the packagingconditions as aseptic as possible. However, in the normal packagingprocess, the containers are exposed to the atmosphere before the productto be packaged is disposed therein, and the closures for the containersare also so exposed. Further, in many instances, the product during thepackaging and subsequent to the positioning of the closure on thecontainer, is exposed to the atmosphere. This is undesirable in manyinstances.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a novelapparatus for carrying out a packaging process wherein asepticconditions are maintained at all times, the actual packaging of productsin containers and the closing of the containers taking place in an inertatmosphere, and the containers and closures being supplied to the inertatmosphere under sanitary conditions, and the filled and closedcontainers being removed from the inert atmosphere under the sameconditions.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus forpackaging products under aseptic conditions, the apparatus including afilling machine and a closing machine which are interconnected and arehoused to operate under aseptic conditions, there further being providedmeans for supplying containers to the filling machine under asepticconditions, with the containers being sterilized as they pass to thefilling machine and not being exposed to the atmosphere after they havebeen sterilized.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus forpackaging products under aseptic conditions, the apparatus utilizing afilling machine and a closing rnachine which are designed to operateunder sealed aseptic conditions, and there being attached to the fillingmachine a container supply conveyor unit which will provide the g llingmachine with sterilized containers not exposed to the atmospheresubsequent to the sterilization thereof, and there being attached to theclosing machine a container closure supply conveyor unit for supplyingto the closing machine container closures which have been sterilized andnot exposed to the atmosphere subsequent to the sterilization thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel apparatus forpackaging products under aseptic conditions,

3,376,689 Patented Apr.v 9, 1968 ICC the apparatus including basically afilling machine and a closing machine which are connected together insealed relation, the closing machine being provided with a containerdelivery conveyor which is sealed relative to the filling machine, theclosing machine being provided with a container closure supply conveyorwhich is sealed relative to the closure machine, and there beingconnected to the closing machine in sealed relation a containerdischarge conveyor, the filling machine, the closing machine and all ofthe conveyors being sealed in an inert atmosphere and the ends of theconveyors remote from the filling machine and closing machine beingprovided with a liquid seal to prevent the entrance of atmospheric airand the escape of the inert gas.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel method ofpackaging products under vaseptic conditions comprising the steps ofpassing containers through a liquid seal wherein the containers aresterilized and delivering the sterilized containers under asepticconditions to a filling machine, placing the product to be packagedwithin the containers in the filling machine under aseptic conditions,and while retaining the filled containers under aseptic conditions,passing the filled containers to a closing machine to which there aresupplied container closures which pass through a sterilizing liquid intoan inert atmosphere and are so delivered to the closing machine, and thefilled and closed containers being delivered from the closing machinethrough a further liquid seal so as to prevent the dilution of the inertgas by the atmosphere.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel containersupply conveyor unit which includes a tank having a closed over exitarea sealed by liquid Within the tank, a conveyor leading from theatmosphere down through the liquid and up out of the liquid into theclosed off area for delivering containers from 4the atmosphere to theclosed off area with the liquid within the tank being a sterilizingliquid so that the containers delivered to the sealed off area aresterilized, and a container delivery conveyor leading from the sealedoff area for passing on the sterilized containers under asepticconditions. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel container supplyconveyor unit which includes a tank having a closed over area which issealed by liquid within the tank, and there being mounted within thetank a conveyor which serves to move containers down through the liquidfrom outside of the tank and up out of the liquid into the closed offarea, the conveyor unit including spray means for filling the containersprior to the submergence of the containers within the liquid toeliminate the flotation characteristics of the containers, and thecontainer conveyor within the tank including means for inverting thecontainers within the closed off area so as to drain the liquidtherefrom.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a container closureconveyor unit for supplying container closures to a closing machineunder aspetic conditions, the conveyor unit including an elongated guidetherethrough, and the tank having a closed over end portion sea-led byliquid Within the tank, with the guide exiting through the sealed overarea, and the guide having humped central portion whereby as thecontainer closures pass along the guide within the tank, the containerclosures are first fannexi in one direction and then 'in the oppositedirection so that all air trapped between adjacent container closures isreleased While the container closures are within the tank so as toprevent the delivering of the container closures with air bubblesattached thereto.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel container closuresupply conveyor unit which includes an elongated tank having liquiddisposed therein, one end of the tank being closed over and sealed bythe liquid within the tank, and an elongated guide extending through thetank for the purpose of delivering container closures down through theliquid in the tank and up out of the liquid within the closed off area,the liquid being a sterilizing liquid, and the tank being provided witha conveyor underlying the guide and serving to support and move thecontainer closures while within the tank.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel containerdischarge conveyor unit for discharging containers filled under asepticconditions, the conveyor unit including a tank having a closed overentrance end with the tank having liquid therein sealing the closed overentrance end, and a pair of conveyor belts having opposed runs moving inlike direction disposed within the tank and being spaced apart adistance substantially equal to the height of the containers beingdischarged, the opposed runs of the conveyor belts extending down intothe liquid within the tank from the sealed off entrance area and then upout of the liquid into the atmosphere whereby containers may be removedfrom a sealed area to the atmosphere without the escape of the inert gasor other matter within the sealed area providing the aspetic conditionsand at the same time without the entrance of atmospheric air into the`sealed off area so as to destroy the aspetic conditions.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by referenceto the following detailed description, the appended claims and theseveral views illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the packaging apparatus which is the subjectof this invention and shows the general arrangement of the componentsthereof.

FIGURE 2 is an end perspective view showing only the container supplyconveyor unit of the packaging apparatus, with parts thereof broken awayand shown in section in order to clearly illustrate the workingcomponents thereof.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the clelivery end of thecontainer supply conveyor unit with one side wall thereof removed, andshows the specific details of the container conveying means therein.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view takenalong the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and shows further the specific detailsof the container conveying means.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary generally vertical sectional viewtaken through a drum of the conveying means and shows the specificdetails of construction of the drum and the relationship of a conveyorbelt with respect thereto, intermediate portions of the drum andconveyor belt being broken away and omitted.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken alongthe line 6 6 of FIGURE 5, and shows the specific details of the mountingof a magnet within the drum for attracting and retaining containers onthe exterior surface of the drum.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the packaging apparatuswith the exception of the container supply conveyor unit, portions ofthe apparatus being broken away in order to show the movement ofcontainers therethrough.

FIGURE 8 is enlarged perspective view of the container closure supplyconveyor means with portions broken away in order to illustrate theinternal details of the conveyor unit.

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view within the tank ofthe container closure supply conveyor unit, and shows the specificdetails of the guide for the container closures and the manner in whichthe container closures are automatically fanned during the movementthereof along the guide to assure the escape of air from therebetween.

FIGURE l0 is an enlarged `fragmentary vertical sectional view takenalong the line 10`10 of FIGURE 9, and shows further the specific detailsof the container closure guide and means for conveying the container`closures along the guide.

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the containerdischarge conveyor unit, with portions thereof broken away in order toclearly illustrate the detail-s of the variouscontainer conveying meansdisposed i therein.

FIGURE l2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view takenthrough the upper portion of the entrance end of the container dischargeconveyor unit of FIGURE 11, and shows the manner in which containers aretransferred from a single line conveyor to a wide random conveyor.

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken alongthe line 13-13 of FIGURE l1, and shows the specific arrangement of thetwo related endless belt conveyors for gripping containers therebe-`tween and transporting such containers.

FIGURE 14 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view showing thespecific resilient mounting of conveyor 4belt hold-down rollers withinthe container discharge conveyor unit.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that theover-all layout of the packaging apparatus, which is generally referredto by the numeral 15, is illustrated in FIGURE 1. The packagingapparatus 15 includes basically a filling machine 16 whichis directlycoupled to a closing machine 17. The filling machine 16 `and the closingmachine 17 are of conventional construction and adapted by slightmodification for filling and closing containers under asepticconditions, preferably within a sterile inert atmosphere, such assterile carbon dioxide; by the addition thereto of suitable air tightcovers, steam jets for sterilizing the machine parts within the covers,`

inert gas supply fittings and air venting valves.

In order that containers may be supplied to the filling machine 16 underaseptic conditions, there Iis provided a container supply conveyor unit,generally referred to by the numeral 18. The container supply conveyorunit 18 preferably has associated therewith a conventional type ofcontainer depalletizer, generallyireferred to by the numeral 19. It isto be understood that the container depalletizer 19 will receivecontainers stacked in layers on a pallet, and the depalletizer 19 iscapable of handling large quantities of containers almost continuouslysup-` plied to the container supply conveyor unit 18 in rows andcolumns.

The closing machine 17 is provided with a conventional type of containerclosure inlet fitting 20 to which there is connected a container closuresupply conveyor unit, generally referred to by the numeral 21. As willbe more apparent hereinafter, the container closure supply conveyor unit21. serves to supply container closures to the closing i machine 17under aseptic conditions.

In view of the fact that the containers are closed under asepticconditions preferably within an inert atmosphere,

it is also desirable to provide the packaging apparatus 15 ings, it willbe seen that there are illustrated the specific details of the containersupply conveyor unit 18. The conveyor unit 18 includes an elongatedtank, generally referred to by the numeral 23. The tank 23 includes .a`

downwardly sloping bottom wall portion 24 which terminates in a lower,generally horizontal, bottom wall portion 25. The bottom wall portion 25is provided with suitable supports 26. The tank 23 also includes a pairof side walls 27, 28 which are connected together at one end by arelatively shallow end wall 29 and at the opposite end by a relativelytall end wall 30.

It is to be noted that the major portion of the tank 23 has a top edge31. However, the end wall 30 projects a substantial distance above thetop edge 31 and terminates at its upper end in a reversely curvedportion 32 which, in turn, terminates in a downwardly sloping top wall33. The top wall 33 is provided at its left end, as viewed in FIGURE 2,with a vertical wall 34 which extends down into the tank 23 andterminates in a downwardly sloping wall 35 which is disposed below theliquid 36 within the tank 23. The side walls 27 and 28 extend up abovethe edges 31 of the tank 23 in the vicinity of the top wall 33 and aresecured to the end wall 30, the top wall 33, the vertical wall 34 andthe sloping wall 35 in sealed relation. In this manner, the right handend of the tank 23, as viewed in FIGURE 2, is provided with a closedover exit area sealed to the atmosphere 36 within the tank 23. Thisclosed over exit area is referred to by the numeral 37.

A large drum, generally referred to by the numeral 38, is mounted in theright end of the tank 23, as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 3, and projects upabove the level of the liquid 36 into the exit area 37. The drum 38 maybe of any suitable construction as far as the mounting and drivingdetails thereof are concerned. However, it is necessary that the drum 38be provided with a perforated shell or skin 39 through which a liquid,such as water, may drain. It is desirable that the skin 39 be formed ofa noncorrosive, nonmagnetic material. As is best shown in FIGURE 6, aplurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending magnets4t) are clamped to the inner surface of the skin 39. The magnets 40 aresecured in place by means of channel-shaped clamps 41 which are held inplace by bolts 42 passing through the skin 39. The magnets 40 may be ofany desired type, although ceramic magnets are preferred.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 5 wherein it is shown that the skin 39is reinforced `at the ends thereof by means of suitable circular ribs43. The drum 38 carries circular outer ribs 44 which terminate in outerflanges 45 which function as be-lt supports, as will be describedhereinafter. When the drum 38 is very wide, it will be provided with atleast one intermediate Ibelt support 46 having a belt supporting ange47.

The containers are moved through the tank 23 primarily by means of anendless belt 48. The endless belt 48 is preferably formed of anoncorrosive, nonmagnetic metal which is very flexible and which hasbeen perforated to permit the free passage of liquid therethrough.

In order to facilitate the supporting of the endless belt 48 in itstravel through-out 'the tank 23, there are mounted wi-thin the tank 23 anumber of rollers for the endless belt 48. These rollers include arelatively large roller 49 which is mounted within the tank 2,3 adjacentthe end wall 29. A smaller roller 50 is mounted adjacent the bottom ofthe tank 23 where the bottom wall portion 24 intersec-ts with the bottomwall portion 25. Another smaller .roller 51 is mounted in the 'bottomofthe tank 23 adjacent the end wall 3G. A further roller 52, which isslightly larger than the rollers 50 and 51, is mounted in fthe upperright hand corner of the tank 23, as is shown in FIG- URE 2, inpartially overlying relation to the drum 38.

It is to be noted that the endless conveyor belt 48 passes downwardlyfrom the top of the roller 49 beneath and around the drum 38 with theendless belt 48 passing partially up over the drum 38 'before it isremoved out of engagement with the drum 38 by the roller 52. The endlessbelt 48 then passes down from the .roller 52 generally parallel to theend wall 30 and around the rol-ler 51. The endless conveyor belt 48 thenpasses under the roller 51 generally parallel to the bottom -wallportion 2.5 to the roller 5t) and then from the roller 50 up to theroller 49 generally parallel to the bottom wall portion 24. It is to beunderstood that any of the rollers supporting the endless conveyor belt48 or the drum 38 .may serve `as the driving force for the endlessconveyor belt 48. If the drum 38 is not relied upon 'as the drivingforce, then, the drum 38 must be driven at the same peripheral speed asis the driving roller for the endless conveyor 'belt 48 so Ithat therewill be no slippage between the endless conveyor belt 48 and the beltsupports carried by the drum 38.

The run of the endless conveyor belt 48 between the upper portion of theroller 49 and the lower portion of the drum 38 is referred to by thenumeral 53. This run 53 supports containers being delivered into thetank 23. Accordingly, the run 53 is supported by a plurality oftransverse supports 54. It is preferred that the transverse supports 54be of the same construction as the magnets 40 and the clamp 41 so thatnot only is the run 53 supported by the supports 54, but also themagnets thereof will serve to prevent sliding and tipping of thecontainers relative to the conveyor belt 48.

Containers are delivered to the `conveyor belt 48 from a deadplate 55which bridges between the depalletizer 19 and the container supplyconveyor unit 18. The depalletizer 19 is of a conventional type ofconstruction :and includes an in-let conveyor 56 for palletized stacksof containers. A pallet, such as the pallet 57, loaded with containersarranged in layers thereon, is mounted within the depa-.lletizer 19 andin accordance with the usual operation ofthe depalletizer 19, the pallet57 is progressively raised, and each layer of containers is pushed olfof the top of the stack of containers Iby suitable pusher means and thecontainers a-re delivered to the deadplate 55. Advancing containerscontinuous-ly push off the leading rows of containers from the deadplate55 onto the run 53 of the endless conveyor belt 48.

In order to aid in the guiding of the containers and to prevent thetipping thereof vas they pass olf of the deadplate 55 onto the endlessconveyor belt 48, an upper guide 5S is provided in overlying relation tothe conveyor belt run 53 for engagement with the upper ends of thecontainers in the event they attempt to tip. The guide 58 is interruptedby a spray assembly 59 for the purpose of filling the containers withliquid. The purpose of lling the containers with liquid is to preventthe flotation of the containers as they pass down into the liquid 36. Itis to be understood that the liquid sprayed into the containers ispumped from the :liquid 36 within the tank 23.

After the containers pass under the spray unit 59, they pass underanother upper guide 60 which overlies the remainder of therun 53.

The spacing between the endless conveyor belt 48 and the skin 39 of thedrum 38 is substantially equal to the height of the containers. In thismanner, the containers are clamped against rthe outer surface of theskin 39 of the drum 38 `by the conveyor belt 48 as the containers passaround the lower portion of the drum 38. Due to the fact that thecontainers are formed of ferrous metal, the containers are attracted tothe skin 39 'by the magnets 40 so that when the conveyor belt 48 is ledaway from the drum 38 by the roller 52, the containers remain attachedto the drum 38.

An upper guide 61 is mounted in overlying concentric relation to the-upper portion of the drum 38 immediately adjacent the point where theendless conveyor belt 48 is removed frorn the drum 38. This upper guideterminates in a straight portion 62 which slopes downwardly and to theleft, as is best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The upper guide v61cooperates with a lower guide 63 to dene a chute. The lower guide 63 isprovided with a tapered edge 64 which rides on the skin 39 of the drum38 and serves to strip the containers from the surface of the drum 38and urge the containers down into the chute 65 defined by the guideportions 62 and 63. It is to be noted that the chute 65 terminates in avertical lower portion 66.

At this time, it is pointed out that although the container supplyconveyor unit 18 is primarily intended to 4be utilized in conjunctionwith ferrous metal containers,

7 it is possible to utilize Vit in conjunction with plastic and glasscontainers, for example. In such event, it will be necessary to `providethe skin 39 of the drum 38fand the endless conveyor belt 48 withsuitable cleats to effect the necessary movement of the containers.

A housing 67 leads off from the tank 23. The housing 67 is sealed to thetank 23 and opens through the side wall 28 thereof above the level ofthe liquid 36 within the-tank 23. It is to be noted that the housing 67opens into the sealed exit area 37 of the tank 23. A container deliveryconveyor 68 is mounted within the housing 67 and extends into the tank23 in underlying relation to the lower portion 66 of the chute 65.

As the containers pass down through the chute 65, they are turned to ahorizontal position and so come to rest on the endless conveyor 68. Theendless conveyor 68 moves the containers out through the tank 23 intothe housing 67. This endless conveyor 68,`which is considered thecontainer delivery conveyor, is provided with `a container turningmechanism 69 within the housing 67 which turns the containers 69 so thatthey are again disposed in upright position with the open upper endsthereof disposed uppermost.

The top wall 33 of the tank 23 is provided with an inspection hatch 70through which access to the interior of the closed off area 37 may beobtained. In addition, the inspection hatch 70 is provided with aninspection port 71 through which the movement of the containers withinthe sealed off area 37 may be watched. In the event there should be arninor jam up within the sealed off area 37 in the vicinity of the chuteV65, provision has been made for the straightening of this jam upwithout destroying the sealed aseptic condition within the exit area 37.To this end, there has been provided a housing 72 on the vertical wall34. This housing 72 has a pair of gloves 73 mounted therein in sealedrelation to facilitate this straightening of the containers.

Operation of container supply conveyor unit In the operation of thecontainer supply conveyor unit 18, including the depalletizer 19,palletizer containers mounted on a pallet 57 are delivered to theconveyor 56 and are moved into the depalletizer. The depalletizer 19operates to continuously remove the containers from the pallet 57 andpush the containers across the deadplate 55 linking the depalletizer 19with the container supply conveyor unit 18 and forcing the containersonto the run 53 of the endless conveyor belt 48. At this time, thecontainers are disposed in upright positions with the open ends thereofuppermost. As the containers pass down the run 53, they are filled withliquid by the spray unit 59 with the result that most of the air fromwithin the containers is removed. The containers move slowly enough downthrough the liquid 36 to permit all air carried by the containers to beremoved. As the containers pass around the drum 38, the containers areinverted and the liquid runs out of the containers. Thus, the containersare substantially free of liquid at the time they pass down the chute 65onto the container delivery conveyor 68.

It is to be understood that the liquid 36 within the tank 23 may be ofany desired type. The liquid could be provided with suitable sterilizingchemicals, if desired. However, when it is desired to sterilize thecontainers passing through the tank 23, which is the usual case, theliquid 36 in the tank 23 will be heated. To this end, the bottom wallportion of the tank 23 is provided with a steam chamber 74 which extendstransversely beneath the tank 23. The steam chamber 74, as is shown inFIGURE 3, is provided with a steam inlet pipe 75. That portion of thebottom wall portion 25 overlying the steam charnber 75 is provided witha plurality of steam nozzles 76 (FIGURE 2) for directing jets of streamupwardly into the tank 23. It is to be understood that the steam jets 8.will heat the liquid to effect the sterilization of the containerspassing through the tank 23.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 .and 7 in particular, it will be seen thatthe housing 67 leads from the tank 23 into the filling machine 16 and issealed relative to the filling machine 16. Thus, the container deliveryconveyor 68 delivers a sterilized container from the tank 23 to thefilling machine 16 under aseptic conditions.

The filling machine 16 is of a conventional type, and

therefore, will not be described in detail here. However, it is to beunderstood that the containers will -be filled with the desired productsunder the desired aseptic conditions, obtained by the prior operation ofsuitably placed steam jets (not shown) within the filling machine cover,the housing 67 and the exit area 37 of the tank 23. The asepticconditions obtained by steaming may be maintained through the use of asterile inert gas, such as carbon dioxide, in which event, the fillingmachine 16, the housing 67 and the exit area 37 of the tank 23 will befilled with the inert gas. i

As has been stated hereinabove, the closing machine 17, which isdisposed adjacent the filling machine 16, also is of a conventionalconstruction and therefore is not described in detail here. However, itis to be under stood that the closing machine 17 is also designed tofunction under aseptic conditions -and may be filled with sterilizingsteam followed by a sterile inert gas, suchas carbon dioxide. A housing77 extends `between the filling machine 16 and the closing machine 17and is connected to the two machines in sealed relation. A conveyor ofany desired type extends through the housing 77 to deliver lledcontainers from the filling machine 16 to the closing machine 17. Thisconveyor is referred to by the numeral 78.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 8, 9 and l0, wherein the details of thecontainer closure supply conveyor unit 21 are shown. The conveyor unit21 `includes an elongated tank 79 in which a suitable liquid 80 iscontained. The liquid 80 may be a sterilizing liquid, if de-` sired, andfor sterilizing purposes, the liquid 80 could be water which has beenheated to a sterilizing temperature.

The tank 79 is of a generally rectangular construction and is supportedin an elevated position by legs 81. One end of the tank 79 is partiallyclosed by means of a closure plate 82 which extends between and issecured to the upper edges of the side walls of the tank 79. The closureplate 82 has a depending plate 83 which extends down, below the level ofthe liquid 80 to form a seal therewith. The closure plate 82 alsocarries an upstanding housing 84. It is to be understood that thehousing 84, together with the closure plate 82, defines a sealed exitarea 85. The housing 84 terminates in a generally rectangular housing 86which is coupled to the fitting 20 of the closingy machine 17.

A suitable container closure guide, generally referred to by the numeral87, extends down into the tank 79 below the level of the liquid 80 fromthe end of the tank 79 remote from the housing 84. The guide 87 passesup out of the tank 79 under the housing 84 and down through ythe housing86. The end of the guide 87 terminates in a coupling flange 88 which issecured to a like coupling flange (not shown) on the closing machine 17.It is to be understood that container closures 89 are supplied to theguide 87 in any conventional manner.

Reference is now made to FIGURE l0 in particular, wherein it is to benoted that the guide 87 is formed of an uppermost rod 90 and apair oflower rods`91.The rods 90 and 91 are disposed in generally triangularrelationship and are so spaced so as to provide proper support for thecontainer closures 89.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 9 in particular, wherein it will be seenthat the lower portion of the guide 87 is provided with a central hump92. It will be apparent that as the container closures 89 pass down theguide 87 into the tank 79, the container closures are closely disposedrelative to one another. As the container closures 89 reach the lowerportion of the guide 87, the guide 87 is upwardly curved, as at 93. Thisresults in the outward tanning of the lower edges of the containerclosures so as to permit the liquid 80 to ow therebetween and displaceany air which may be disposed between the lower portions of thecontainer closures. Then, as the container closures 89 pass up into thehump 92 of the guide 87, the container closures 89 are reversely fannedso as to space the upper portions of adjacent container closures andpermit the nal escape of all air from therebetween. It is also to benoted that the guide 87 is reversely curved to the left of the hump 92,as at 94, which results in an additional tanning of the containerclosures 89 beneath the surface of the liquid 80 to assure that all airinitially disposed between the container closures is released therefrom.

In order to effect the feeding of the container closures 89 through theguide 87 in the area ofthe tank 79, there is provided a conveyor,generally referred to by the numeral 95. The conveyor 95 includes twolower rollers 96, 97 and two upper rollers 98, 99. One of these rollers,preferably the roller 99, is driven. An endless conveyor belt 100 isentrained over the rollers 96, 97, 98 and 99 and carries a plurality ofspaced cleats 101 which project up between the rails 91 of the guide 87and engage behind container closures 89 to force the same through theguide 87. A typical cleat 101 is illustrated in FIGURE 10.

It is desired that the endless `belt 100 closely follow the contour ofthe guide 87 and underlie the container closures 89. Due to theprovision of the central hump 92 in the guide 87, it is necessary toprovide the tank 79 with rollers 102 which extend between the sides ofthe tank 79 and support the upper run of the endless belt 100 beneaththe hump 92. The arrangement and mounting of the rollers 102 is shown inFIGURES 9 and 10.

At this time, it is also pointed out that immediately adjacent therollers 98 and 99, it is desired that the endless belt 100 directlyengage the container closures 89 to urge the same up against the toprail 90. It will be understood that the portions of the guide 87dis-posed adjacent the rollers 98 and 99 will be so related with respectto the path of the endless belt 100 that this desired contact willoccur. Because of the relationship of the cleats 101 with respect to thelower rails 91, it may be necessary to move the lower rails 91 upwardlyand outwardly in these areas.

In order that the endless conveyor belt 100 may be properly tensioned,it is desired that at least one of the rollers be adjustably and springmounted. It is preferred that the roller 96 be the roller so mounted sothat the necessary upward pulling on the upper run of the endlessconveyor belt 100 may be accomplished.

It is understood that the housing 89 is sealed from the outsideatmosphere by the liquid 80 in the tank -79. Further, it is to beunderstood that when the liquid 80 is of a sterilizing type, thecontainer closures 89 will be supplied to the housing 86 understerilized conditions. It is also to be understood that the same asepticconditions which exist in the closing machine 17 will exist within thehousing 86 and the sealed exit area 85.

Operation of the container closure supply conveyor unit In the operationof the container closure supply conveyor unit 21, suitable containerclosures 89 are supplied to the right hand end of the guide 87 in anyconventional manner. As the container closures 89 pass into the guide87, the container closures 89 are gripped at spaced intervals by thecleats 101 and are thereby pushed through the guide 87. Since the guide87 passes down through the liquid 80 in the tank 79 and up out into thesealed area 85, it will be seen that the container closures 89 will passfrom the outside atmosphere through a water seal and up into an areahaving conditions as desired, the conditions being preferably aseptic innature. Due to the particular configuration of the guide 87, it will beseen that the container closures 89 Will be reversely tanned so as toassure the rem-oval of all air from between adjacent ones of thecontainer closures. Thus, no outside air is brought into the housing 86with the container closures 89. In addition, when the liquid is of asterilizing type, including heated water, the container closuressupplied to the closing machine are sterilized.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 1l through 14, inclusive, wherein thereare shown the details of the container discharge conveyor unit 22. Theconveyor unit 22 includes a tank, generally referred to by the numeral103. vThe tank '103 has a bottom wall 104, upstanding side walls andspaced end walls 106 and 107. For the most part, the side walls 105 haveupper edges 108 below which the tank 103 is substantially lled with aliquid 109.

The side walls 105 project upwardly above the edges 108 for a distancetowards the end wall 107. The end Wall 107 also projects up beyond theupper edge of the e-nd wall 106. A top wall 110 extends between theupwardly projecting portions of the side walls 105 and is connected tothe upper edge of the end wall I107. In addition, a vertical wall 111extends downwardly at the left end of the top wall 110 between theupwardly projecting portions of the side walls l105. The Wall 111extends down into the tank 103 below the level of the liquid 109therein. In this manner, a closed olf sealed entrance area 112 is formedat the right end of the tank 103` above the level of the liquid 109.

A pair of cooperating conveyors 113 and 114 are carried by the tank 103.The conveyor 113 includes a pair of lower rollers i115, 116, and anupper roller 117 which is disposed above the end 106 of the tank 103. Aroller 118 is disposed above and to the right of the roller 116 in theupper portion of the tank 103 in the sealed area 112 thereof. A driveroller 119 is mounted to the right and slightly above the roller 118.Another roller 1120 is disposed with the top thereof in the same planeas the roller 119 and disposed to the left of the roller 118. An endlessconveyor belt 121 is entrained over the rollers 115, 116, 117, 118, 119and 120. It is to be noted that the endless conveyor belt 121 loops downbetween the rollers 117 and 120 and passes out of the sealed entrancearea 112 down through the liquid 109 and out of the liquid 109 to theatmosphere.

The conveyor 114 includes an upper left hand roller 122 which isdisposed above the roller 117. The conveyor 114 also includes an upperright hand roller 123 which is disposed above and to the left of theroller 120. In addition, the conveyor 114 includes a centrally locatedlower roller 124.

It is desired that a lower run of an endless conveyor ibelt 125 of theconveyor 114 extend generally parallel to the upper run of the endlessconveyor belt 121. It is desired that the sha-pes of these two opposedruns of the conveyors -113 and 114 be substantially that illustrated inFIGURE 1l. In order that the lower run of the endless conveyor belt -125will have the desired arcuate shape, a plurality of small diameterrollers 126 are mounted principally .between the side walls 105 of thetank 103 a-nd by means of suitable supports (not shown) where therollers 126 are disposed above the side walls of the tank '103. It is tobe understood that the endless conveyor fbelt 125 is entrained aroundthe rollers 122 and 123, and under the rollers 124 and 126i. Either theroller 122 or 123 may be suitably driven at the same peripheral speed asis the roller 119 so that the opposed runs 113 and 114 will move at thesame rate. It is to be understood, of course, that the direction ofmovement `of these two opposed runs is to be the same.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 14 in particular, which shows the mannerin which the rollers 126 are supported. Each of the rollers 126 has ashaft 127 which projects through opposite ends thereof. The shaft 127has each end thereof suitably journaled in a block 128 which, in turn,is mounted in a guide -129 carried by an asssociated one of the sidewalls 105 of the tank 103. The block 128 is vertically movable with itsassociated guide 129, but is normally retained in a lower position bymeans of a spring 130 bearing thereagainst. It is to be noted, however,that the rollers 126 are resiliently mounted so as to maintain thenecessary tension on the endless conveyor belt 125 at all times.

In order to assure the proper spacing of the opposed runs .of theendless conveyor belts 121 and 125, it is necessary that the upper runof the endless conveyor belt 121 be suitably guided. To this end, a flatguide 131 having channel-shaped end portion 1132 is provided, as isclearly shown in FIGURES 13 and 14. Also, in order to prevent theaccidental movement of containers sidewise from between the endlessconveyor belts 121 and 12'5, it is necessary that suitable side plates133 extend upwardly `from the guide 131. These side plates 133 areutilized as supports for the guide 131 by being attached to suitablebrackets 134 carrier by the side walls 105 of the tank 103 with the sideplates 133 functioning as hangers for the guide 131.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 7 and 1l in particular, wherein it willbe seen that a housing 135 extends between the closing machine 17 andthe tank 103. The housing 135 is connected primarily to the end wall 107of the tank and the housing 135 and the end wall 107 have alignedopenings so that the interior of the housing 135 is in communicationwith the interior of the tank 103.

An endless conveyor 136 is mounted within the housing 135 and receivesclosed containers from the closing machine 17. The endless lconveyor 136delivers the closed containers to a position aligned with the tank 103and into engagement with a deiiector plate 137, as is shown in FIGURE12. The deflected containers are moved from the endless conveyor 136onto a deadplate 138 which overlies the upper portion of the conveyor113. Following containers push the advance containers from the deadplate138 onto the conveyor 113 in a random order.

Referring now to FIGURE 11, it will be seen that a suitable guide 139extends generally above the roller 120 so as to urge the containers downbetween the opposed runs of the endless conveyor belts 121 and 125.Referring to the left end of the conveyors 113 and 114, it will be seenthat the lower run of the endless conveyor belt 125 extends straight tothe roller 122. However, when containers are disposed between theopposed runs of the conveyor lbelts 121 and 125, the conveyor belt 125will be upwardly bowed, as indicated by the phantom line i140. Thecontainers exiting from between the conveyors .113 and 114 are passedonto either a suitable deadplate 141 or some take-away means.

In view of the fact that the conveyor belts 121 and 125 must passthrough the liquid 109 Within the tank 103, it is desirable that theseconveyor belts be formed of a non-corrosive perforated metal. Also,since the closed containers must pass through the liquid, it isdesirable to expedite the drying thereof after they have passed fromwithin the tank 103. To this end, the bottom portion or the tank 103 isprovided with suitable steam pipes 142 formed to direct jets of steam upinto the liquid within the tank 103. In this manner, the containers andthe contents thereof may be preheated to facilitate the drying of thecontainers after being discharged from the container discharge conveyorunit 22. The heating of the liquid also maintains it sterile and lessensthe amount of inert gas that it will absorb.

Operationv of container discharge conveyor unit The lcontainer dischargeconveyor unit 22 receives filled and closed containers from the closingmachine 17.

These containers move along the single line conveyor` belt 136 untilthey approach the end ofthe housing 135, at

which time they are engaged by the deector plate '137 and are moved ontothe deadplate 138. As the containers crowd onto the deadplate 138,1as isbest shown in FIG- URE 12, the containers will be forced ott thedeadplate 138, by the following containers, onto the conveyor 113 inrandom order. The containers are then delected down between theconveyors 113 and 114 by the guide plate At this time, reference isagain made to FIGUREZ,`

wherein it is shown that a divider member 144 is carried by thedeadplate 55 in the center thereof. The divider member 144 serves tospread apart the containers in a row so as to provide suitable spacedown the center of the endless belt 48 to provide the necessaryclearance for a center belt support carried by the drum 38, if suchcenter belt support is provided. It` is to be understood that theexistence of the divider '144 will depend upon the center belt supportand the dividers may vary in number in accordance with the central beltsupports.

At this time, it is particularly pointed out that the present inventionhas to do with the packaging of all types of products where asepticconditions are desired. Although the packaging apparatus 15 isprincipally. developed for use in conjunction with cans, it is to beunderstood that other types of` containers, including plastic bottlesand glass bottles and jars, may be used in the,`

packaging apparatus 15. Further, it is to be understood that theproducts to be packaged are not limited to foods and beverages in thatall types of products requiring aseptic conditions may be packaged inaccordanceY with this invention. However, it is pointed out that thepackaging apparatus 15 is particularly well adapted to the packaging ofbeer in cans.

In the foregoing description wherever the words aseptic or sterile areused, what is meant is commercially aseptic or commercially sterile. Inthe food industry commercially sterile means free of viable organismscapable of growth in the product under the conditions existing but doesnot necessarily mean absolute sterility. For instance, in canning acidproducts such as beer and citrus fruit juices having a pH of below 4.5commercial sterilization `may be `achieved at relatively lowtemperatures and in short periods of time due to the fact that the typesof bacteria that adversely affect such products by being capable ofgrowth therein are among the most readily killed by heat.

On the other hand products having a pH of 4.5 and above require eithermuch higher temperatures or a very long time at lower temperatures to berendered commercially sterile.

In view of this, the -apparatus and method of the present invention aremost admirably suited for aseptically packaging an acid product, suchasbeer, which can be accomplished at a very high r-ate of speed.

The use of a sterile inert igas atmosphere in which the packagingoperations are performed also serves the purpose of eliminating oxygenfrom the containers that would normally be present if sterile air wereused. For the packaging of most products it is desirable to achieve aslow an oxygen content as possible in the packages.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel and advantageousprovision has been made for carrying out the desired end. However,`attention is again directed to the fact that variations maybe made inthe example method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing ifrom the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by t the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. A method of packaging products under aseptic coni ditions utilizingsealed filling and closing mechanisms comprising the steps ofmaintaining aseptic conditions within the filling and closingmechanisms, feeding containers to the filling mechanism through asterilizing liquid first seal wherein containers fed to the fillingmechanism are sterilized prior to delivery thereof to the fillingmechanism, feeding container closures to the clo-sing mechanism througha sterilizin-g liquid second seal wherein container closures fed to thefilling mechanism are sterilized prior to the delivery thereof to theclosing mechanism, and 'discharging filled and closed containers fromthe closing mechanism through a third seal, the container closures beingcontinuously provided and being fanned in opposite directions within thesterilizing liquid second seal to remove all air from therebetween.

2. An apparatus for aseptic packaging of products, said apparatus beingsealed against the introduction of outside air and comprising a sealedfilling machine and a sealed closing machine interconnected in sealedrelation, a sealed container supply conveyor unit leading to saidfilling machine, a seal in said container supply conveyor unit, meansfor delivering air free containers to said container supply conveyorunit through said seal, a sealed container closure suply conveyor unitleading to said closing machine, a second seal in said container closuresupply conveyor unit, means for delivering air free container closuresto said container closure supply conveyor unit through said second seal,and a sealed container discharge conveyor unit leading from said closingmachine and having a discharge seal, said container supply conveyor unitincludin-g a tank having a closed over area sealed by liquid within saidtank, a housing connected to said filling mechanism and said closed over4area in sealed relation and having a container delivery conveyorextending therethrough, and a container supply conveyor having a portionthereof exposed for the reception of containers, said container supplyconveyor passing liquid through said liquid into said closed over areaand termin-ating lat said container delivery conveyor for supplyingcontainers thereto, said container supply conveyor unit including aliquid spray for filling containers prior to the passage of thecontainers through the liquid to exclude air from the containers andprevent the containers from floating.

3. An apparatus for aseptic packaging of products, said apparatus beingsealed against the introduction of outside air and comprising a sealedfilling machine and a sealed closing machine interconnected in sealedrelation, -a sealed container supply conveyor unit leading to saidfilling machine, a seal in said container supply conveyor unit, meansfor delivering air free containers to said container supply conveyorunit through said seal, la sealed container closure supply conveyor unitleading to said closing machine, a second seal in said container closuresupply conveyor unit, means for delivering air free container closuresto said container closure supply conveyor unit through said second seal,and a sealed container discharge conveyor unit leading from said closingmachine and having a discharge seal, said container supply conveyor unitincluding a tank having a closed over are-a sealed by liquid within saidtank, a housing connected to said filling mechanism and said closed overarea in sealed relation and having a container delivery conveyorextending therethrough, and a container supply conveyor having a portionthereof exposed for the reception or containers, said container supplyconveyor passing through said liquid into said closed over area andterminating at said container delivery conveyor for supplying containersthereto, said container supply conveyor unit including a liquid sprayfor filling containers prior to the passage of the containers throughthe liquid to exclude air from the containers and prevent the containersfrom oating, and said container supply conveyor including a containerinverting drum for inverting containers to empty liquid from thecontainers within said closed over area prior to delivery to saidcontainer delivery conveyor.

4. An apparatus for Iaseptic packaging of products, said apparatus beingsealed against the introduction of outside air and comprising a sealedfilling machine and a sealed closing machine interconnected in sealedrelation, a sealed container supply conveyor unit leading to saidfilling machine, a seal in said container supply conveyor unit, meansfor delivering air free containers tosaid container supply conveyor unitthrough said seal, a sealed container closure supply conveyor unitleading to said closing machine, a second seal in said container closuresupply conveyor unit, means for delivering-air free container closuresto said container closure supply conveyor unit through said second seal,and a sealed container discharge conveyor unit leading from sai-dclosing machine and having -a discharge seal, said container closuresupply conveyor unit including a tank having a closed over exit areasealed by liquid within said tank, a container closure guide passinginto said tank through the liquid therein and out through said exitarea, said container closure guide having .a humped lower centralportion whereby container closures passing along said guide arereversely fanned to assure the escape of all air from between thecontainer closures.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein feed means are associated with saidcontainer closure guide within said tank.

6. In a sealed packaging apparatus, a container supply conveyor unitcomprising a tank having a closed over exit area sealed from theatmosphere by liquid within said tank, a housin-g extending from saidtank exit area, a container delivery conveyor extending through saidhousing and into said tank, a container supply conveyor extending fromoutside of said tank down through the liquid and up into said exit areafor delivering containers to said container delivery conveyor, and aliquid spray overlying said container supply conveyor for fillingcontainers prior to the passage of the containers through the liquid toexclude air from the containers and prevent the containers from lioatingwithin the liquid.

7. In a sealed packaging apparatus, a container supply conveyor unitcomprising a tank having a closed over exit area sealed from theatmosphere by liquid within said tank, a housing extending from saidtank exit area, a container delivery conveyor extending through saidhousing and into said tank, a container supply conveyor extending fromoutside of said tank down through the liquid and up into said exit areafor delivering containers to said container delivery conveyor, saidcontainer supply conveyor including an endless conveyor belt having anupper container engaging run, a drum disposed partially in said exitarea and partially in said liquid, a portion of said conveyor runpassing partially under up and around said drum for delivering containerto said drum, and container retain-ing means on said drum.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 together with means for removing invertedcontainers from said drum and delivering the same to said containerdelivery conveyor.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said liquid is a sterilizing liquid.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said container supply conveyor unitincludes a liquid spray for filling containers prior to the passage ofthe containers through the liquid to exclude air from the containers andprevent the containers from floating.

11. In a sealed packaging apparatus, a container closure supply conveyorunit comprising a tank having a closed over exit area sealed by liquidwithin said tank, a container closure guide passing into said tankthrough the liquid therein and out through said exit area, saidcontainer closure guide having a humped lower central portion wherebycontainer closures passing along said guide are reversely tanned toassure the escape of all air from between the container closures.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said liquid is a sterilizingliquid.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein feed means are associated withsaid container closure guide Within said tank.

14. In a sealed packaging apparatus, a container closure supply conveyorunit comprising a tank having a closed over exit area sealed by liquidwithin said tank, a containerclosure guide passing into said tankthrough the liquid therein and out through said exit area, saidcontainer closure guide having a humped lower central portion wherebycontainer closures lpassing along said guide are reversely fanned toassure the escape of all air from between the container closures, saidguide including an upper guide member and two lower guide members, and aconveyor belt underlying said` guide and having an upper run adapted toengage container .closuresand lift said container closures up off ofsaid lower guide members and into engagement with said upperl guidemember.

References Cited V UNITED STATES PATENTS I l/1940 12/1941 l1/l953 8/1962ll/l956 Murch 53-94 X Kronquest 53-112 Ball. Hickey.

Loew. Miskel 53-25 .Morgan 53'25 Martin 21-78` Abrams 21--78 Frank198-16 Martin 21-78 X Schopp 1 534-82 X Examiners.

